A cooling tower functions to cool water from a high temperature to a low temperature in such a way as to allow recycling thereof, so that water of high quality can be continuously supplied in a refrigerator, a heat exchanger, an air conditioning system, etc.
Cooling towers are generally divided into a counterflow type cooling tower and a crossflow type cooling tower depending upon a heat exchanging method.
In a counterflow type cooling tower, as water of a high temperature which flows downward through fillers is brought into contact with air which is sucked from the outside and flows upward, the hot water is cooled. In a crossflow type cooling tower, as water of a high temperature which flows downward through fillers is crossed with air which is sucked from the outside and flows substantially in a horizontal direction, the hot water is cooled.
When comparing the counterflow type cooling tower and crossflow type cooling tower from the standpoint of efficiency, assuming that an amount of water and a heat exchange coefficient are the same, the former is superior to the latter in that the former occupies a reduced volume and it is easy to analyze design, capacity and heat exchange capability of the former. However, when comparing the former and the latter from the standpoint of power consumption, the latter is superior to the former in that air flow resistance is diminished while ventilation is implemented by a fan, and, thereby, static pressure loss and power loss are decreased.
Further, when comparing the counterflow type cooling tower and crossflow type cooling tower from the standpoint of external size, the latter is advantageous in terms of height in that various arrangements are horizontally positioned, and the former is advantageous in terms of cross-sectional area in that various arrangements are vertically positioned. In the case of the counterflow type cooling tower, difficulties are caused upon inspecting and repairing a diversity of devices which are located inside the cooling tower, specifically adjacent to a lower water tank, including a pipeline, a filtering device, etc.
In addition, the counterflow type cooling tower and crossflow type cooling tower have their respective advantages and disadvantages with respect to air dispersion, water distribution structure and noise generation.